ISLAND SANCTUARIES
Look to Heritance Hotels & Resorts for a Sri Lankan sojourn with a unique edge.
Architecturally unique resorts that blend in with their natural environment are a recurring feature of Heritance Hotels & Resorts, whose portmanteau name reflects the Sri Lankan brand’s mission to preserve its heritage and leave a valuable inheritance to future generations. In expressing the local flavor and warmth, Heritance encapsulates the service excellence that parent company Aitken Spence and its hotels have inherited from 140 years of trust and reliability.
On the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, the refurbished Heritance Ahungalla was once the Triton Hotel, a creation of the eminent late architect Geoffrey Bawa and the first five- star beach resort in the country when it opened in 1981. Its 152 rooms are a delight, while guests can enjoy sumptuous buffets at Jute Restaurant, take a dip in the beachfront infinity pool, and be pampered at Diviyan Spa. Another Geoffrey Bawa– designed property is the Heritance Kandalama in the heart of Sri Lanka’s cultural triangle. The 152- roomed hotel is built around a monolithic outcrop, offering panoramic views toward Dambulla cave temple and the imposing rock fortress of Sigiriya. Naturelovers can choose from an array of outdoor activities, from offroad cycling and horse rides to bird-watching tours on foot or by boat. History buffs will also find the property an ideal base for day trips to the ancient capitals of Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura.
Overlooking an organic tea plantation in the hill country around Nuwara Eliya, Heritance Tea Factory is Sri Lanka’s highest hotel at an elevation of 2,000 meters. The former 1930s tea factory now has 50 rooms and suites affording panoramic views of the estate. In line with its history, two unusual experiences are available on site: guests can pluck their own tea and have it processed at the hotel’s mini tea factory, or dine in a 1930s narrowgauge railway carriage.
The newest addition to the brand is Heritance Negombo, which opened last year on the caramel sands of the west coast, just 20 minutes’ drive from Bandaranaike International Airport. Its 139 rooms make the most of the Indian Ocean sunset with their own private balconies, and are cradled in palm- shaded grounds traversed by a lagoon- style swimming pool. Guests can look forward to sundowners at the top- floor venue See Lounge alongside a bevy of dining options, including seafood restaurant The Big Fish, international all- day buffets at Blue Tan, and several outlets at The Banyan just across the street.